Toy sounding flash gun



Nov. 24, 1953 L. H. STRAYER 2,660,000

TOY SOUNDING FLASH GUN Filed Aug. 10, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I

INVENTOR. LAWRENCE H. STRAYER w g, m

ATTORNEY NOV. 24-, 1953 STRAYER 2,660,000

TOY SOUNDING FLASH GUN Filed Aug. 10, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 AAlAAlAAAA vvvv L J J m INVENTOR. LAWRENCE H. STRAYER ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 24, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT TOY SOUNDING FLASH GUN Lawrence H. Strayer, Kent, Ohio Application August 10, 1950, Serial No. 178,615

3 Claims.

This invention relates to toys for amusement, and in particular relates to a toy gun.

One object of the invention is to provide a toy gun having incorporated therein a novel noisemaklng device operable in simulation of machine gun fire.

Other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawings.

of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a toy gun embodying the features of the invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-section, taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged side view of the forward portion of the gun as shown in Figure 1, partly broken away and in section and with a portion of the light circuit of Fig. 6 omitted.

Figures 4 and 5 are cross-sections taken substantially on the lines 44 and 5--5 of Figure 3, respectively.

Figure 6 is a wiring diagram for electrical connections in the gun.

Referring to the drawings, in Figures 1 to -5 there is shown a toy gun simulating a machine gun, the same including an elongated stock or body H, a shoulder piece 12 removably attached to one end of the stock, and a cylindrical barrel l3 'rem-ovably mounted at the opposite end of said stock.

Secured to the inner end of the shoulder piece I2, to extend into a chamber I4 in the gun stock ll, may be an electrically Operable vibrator unit l5 wherein armature arm 1 6 is pivoted on a bracket I! to be attracted to a fixed core [8 of an electromagnetic coil I9, against the action of a tensionspring arranged between an extension 2! of the arm and a lug 22 on'bracket H, when the coil is electrically energized- Arm 16 has a weighted head 23 at its free end to be within Striking distance from a sounding board 24 of glass, hard plastic, wood, or similar material capable of producing a sharp noise when struck with a hard object, such as head 23. The soundring board may constitute one wall of a circular sound-amplifying box 25 which is secured to the stock I I in simulation of a shell magazine of the gun. A wall 26 of the box 25, in spaced relation to board 24, is centrally apertured at 21 to provide the requisite tone quality of sound emanating from the box when the board 24 is struck by the vibrating armature arm.

The armature arm l6 may be of suitable electro-magnetic material, such as soft iron, and in the normal inoperative position thereof shown in Figures 3 and 6 is held with the head 23 against sounding board 24 by the spring 20. In this position, however, a flexible leaf spring 29 of electroconductive material, extending freely from the pivot end of the arm, is in yielding engagement with a contact point 30 on a clip 31a secured to bracket [1. As best shown in Figure 3, contact 30, through a line C, coil l9, and a line D electrically connects with a contact 3| of a-trigger operated switch 32 mounted in the stock ;I I, while the leaf spring 29 connects the other side of switch 32 through a line B, and a plurality of drycell batteries 35, 35, arranged in series in line 3, within a cylindrical bore 36 through the stock I Switch 32 includes a pivoted contact member 31, normally spring-pressed out of engagement with contact 31, and having constant connection to the line B, the switch being closed by yieldingly pressing with a finger an angular trigger extension 38 on the member until it engages contact 3|. This arrangement is such that by pulling trigger extension 38 to close switch 32 and electrical circuit is completed through the batteries 35 to energize coil l9, which immediately draws arm I6 away from the sounding-board 24. At'the same time leaf spring 29 is drawn out of engagement with contact 30 to open said circuit and deenergize the coil, thereby allowing spring 20to move arm I6 back to its original position and in so doing to strikethe head 23 sharply against the sounding board. As long as switch 32 is thus held closed, this hammer action of the arm It will be repeated with a-vibratory effect producing a rapid succession of staccato sounds on the board 24, as amplified by the sound box 25.

If desired for more realistic effect, a small lamp .0 may be suitably mounted within a cap 44 of transparent material, such as glass, synthetic resin plastics, etc., threaded onto the outer end of the barrel. For this purpose the lamp may be directly connected in the make-and-break circuit described above, or it may be connected, as shown in Figure 6, in a separate circuit, one line B of which extends from one side of the lamp to a relatively fixed contact 50, and another line E, including dry-cell batteries 42, 42, extends to a movable contact 51, which in turn is moved by the hammer l6 to provide make-and-break engagement with contact 50. The flashing of light is the same as before, although it is stronger because the current is not drained by operation of the coil IS. The dry-cell batteries 42, 42 are removably mounted in a cylindrical bore 43 of barrel l3, as shown in Figure 3. In either instance the lamp 40 will flash through the transparent cap 4|, s1

3 multaneously with the hammering action of the head 23, as long as the switch 32 is held closed. The cap 45 and pin extending therethrough are non-conductive.

The barrel I3 is shown removably inserted in a socket 44 in the outer end of the stock I l for ready replacement of the batteries 35. The batteries 42 in the barrel are similarly easily removed by unscrewing a cap 45 on the inner end thereof while the barrel is removed from the stock I l. Suitable spring contact connections are provided in the wiring circuit as best shown in Figure 3, to facilitate removal of the various parts and the batteries as described.

For holding or supporting the gun a hand grip 46 is secured to the bottom of the stock II, forwardly of the sound box 26, and a trigger guard 41 is provided on the bottom of the stock, under the trigger.

In use of the toy gun it is supported by a child in the manner of a machine gun as with the shoulder piece held against a shoulder or hip, by the child grasping hand grip 46 in one hand while a finger of the other hand is inserted forwardly of the trigger extension 38, within the trigger guard 41. Upon depressing the trigger extension 33 with said finger, contact 32 is closed to energize the coil l9, thereby to vibrate the armature arm I6. The resulting hammering action of the head 23 on the sounding board produces, through the amplifying box 25, a series of staccato sounds in simulation of the firing of a machine gun.

Modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A toy gun comprising a stock, a sounding board mounted on said stock, an arm swingably mounted and having a weighted head at a free end thereof in striking relation to said sounding board, and battery operated vibratory means operable to swing said arm with vibratory action :and thereby strike said head thereof against ,said sounding board in successive noise-making blows, said gun having a barrel mounted on said stock, a lamp mounted in said barrel at the free end thereof, and battery operated electrical means operable by said vibratory means in synchronization with said vibratory action of said arm for intermittently lighting said lamp.

2. A toy gun comprising a stock, a sounding board mounted on said stock, an arm swingably mounted to extend freely to have a weighted head at a free end thereof in striking relation to said sounding board, and actuating means operable to swing said arm with vibrating action and thereby strike said head thereof against said sounding board in successive noise-making blows, said actuating means including an electromagnet in which said arm constitutes a movable armature thereof, a source of electrical current, a. manually operable switch, an electrical circuit connecting said current source to said electromagnet through said switch, a second switch in said circuit operable b said arm, resilient means on said arm normally holding said second switch closed, said second switch being intermittently opened while said manually operable switch is held closed to open said circuit by attraction of said arm to said electro-magnet each time the second switch is closed by said resilient means, said gun having a barrel mounted on said stock, a lamp mounted in said barrel at the free end thereof, and electrical connections from said lamp to said circuit intermittently to light said lamp in coordination with said vibratory action of said arm.

3. A toy gun comprising a stock, a soundamplifying box mounted on said stock, one wall of said box constituting a sounding board and another wall spaced therefrom having an aperture therein for improving the tone of sound emanating from the box, an arm swingably mounted to extend freely within the box in the direction of the plane of said sounding board and having a weighted head at a free end thereof for striking said sounding board, and actuating means operable to swing said arm with vibratory action and thereby strike said head thereof against said sounding board in successive noisemaking blows, said actuating means including an electro-magnet in which said arm constitutes a movable armature thereof, a source of electrical current, a manually operable switch, an electrical circuit connecting said current source to said electro-magnet through said switch, a second switch in said circuit operable by said arm, resilient means on said arm normally holding said second switch closed, said second switch being intermittently opened while said manually operable switch is held closed to open said circuit by attraction of said arm to said electro-magnet each time the second switch is closed by said resilient means, said manually operable switch including electrical contact means in said circuit and a spring-pressed pivoted element simulating a finger trigger on the gun stock, said trigger having a portion operable with movement thereof to close said contact means.

LAWRENCE H. STRAYER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 876,088 Pfeil Jan. '7, 1908 1,272,353 Appell July 16, 1918 2,208,313 Schmidt July 16, 1940 2,420,076 Goodwin et al May 6, 1947 

